Class helper 'smacked disabled children'

A CLASSROOM assistant in a special school was accused yesterday of biting and smacking pupils.

Patricia Mitchell, 49, was also alleged to have forced a disabled girl to hang from a climbing frame by her arms for 20 minutes to try to improve her muscles.

Mitchell, of Langaton Lane, Exeter, denied five counts of common assault on pupils aged five to 12 at a school in east Devon in 1999 and last year. Magistrates at Honiton, Devon, dismissed two further charges: that she force-fed a child and threatened to cut off another's fingers.

Sarah Leesing, prosecuting, said that Mitchell had worked for more than 20 years at the school for physically or mentally challenged children. She was investigated after complaints from other staff.

Miss Leesing said: "A number of staff became concerned at the way Mitchell handled the children, who all had severe learning disabilities, and it is alleged she assaulted all of them in one way or another. Staff felt uncomfortable about the way she behaved and eventually she was interviewed twice and denied the allegations of physical abuse."

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One alleged offence involved an autistic girl aged six who was on an outing to the Devon County Show. She jumped up at Mitchell and wrapped herself around her. Mitchell dropped her on the ground deliberately. Another charge involved a boy of seven with learning difficulties who was smacked on the thigh when he misbehaved.

Mitchell said she had never hurt any of the 100 children she had cared for. She said she had encouraged one of the children to stand on a climbing frame to improve her muscle development as part of her individual education plan.

She said: "I have never used unlawful force on a child. If I had, I would have been approached about it, but I have never had a single complaint." The trial continues